Boiler-flue cleaner.



PATENTED AUG. 16, 1.904..

i tw@ z uur I No MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented August 16, 1904.

PHILIP FRANK VOGT, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

BOILER-FLUE CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,854, dated August16, 1904.

l Application filed September 2, 1903. Serial No. 171,659. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, PHILIP FRANK Voer, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Boiler-Flue Cleaners, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to' boiler-flue cleaners or scrapers of thatclass embodying a central stem and longitudinal toggle arms or linkspivotally connected at their free ends to blades movable in relation tothe stem and held in position by av spring, whereby the arms and thevblades are yieldingly held in expanded position.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple and edectiveorganization of elements whereby the spring is protected by an inclosurepositioned within the planes of the blades, the said inclosure having aterminal element to engage the inner portions of the heads of the bladesto cause a more positive adjustment of the latter and their retention inadjusted or expanded position.

A further object of the invention is to connect the scraper ortoggle-arms with the heads of the cleaner without the use of bolts orrivets and without requiring machine-work, so

as to simplify the construction of the device and reduce the cost of itsmanufacture and also to movably articulate-or assemble the toggle-armsand blades by means of removable devices which will permit readyseparation of all 'the parts should it become necessary to disorganizethem for different` purposes, such as repair or to replace one of theparts that may have become broken.

lVith these and otherobjects and advantages in view the inventionconsists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts, whichwill be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a cleaner embodying thefeatures of the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectionthrough the same.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts in the views. The numeral 1 designates a series of blades havinginclined scraping edges 2, lower biwhich will be presently set forth.Pivotally and detachably secured to the lower bifurcated terminals 3 ofthe blades are the upper ends of toggle-arms 7, cotter-pins 8 beingpreferably employed to connect the said toggle-arms to the blades, sothat they may be readily withdrawn to separate the connected parts. Thelower ends of the arms 7 and the upper ends of the shanks 4 are formedwith recesses 9, opening outwardly therefrom to loosely bear on bars 10,located at theinner ends of heads 11 and 12. The portions of the lowerextremities of the arms 7 and the upper extremities of the Shanks 4inward from the recesses 9 are rounded or of convex form, as at 13, andthe heads 11 and 12 at points outward from the bars 10 are recessed orcut away, as at 14, to permit the said lower ends of the arms and upperextremities of the Shanks to have unretarded movement during theexpansion and contraction of the blades and the corresponding movementof the arms 7. Each head is formed with a central sleeve l5, andextending longitudinally through the said sleeves are the two members 16and 17 of the stem, which are operatively joined at an intermediatepoint, as will be now set forth. The member 17 of the stem, whichprojects through the sleeve 15 of .the head 12, may be said to be thehandle portion of thestem and will be made up of a series of connectedsections, as many of said sections being added as are required tooperate throughout the full length of flue-tubes or flues of differentlengths, and the exterior surfaces of the contiguous ends of the severalsections are screw-threaded and have sleeves 18 run thereover. The frontterminal of the member 17 is secured to the rear head 19 of a centralcylindrical closure 20, having a head 21 at its opposite end formed witha projecting flange 22, said head 21 having a central opening 23, inwhich the rear extremity of the member 16 of the stem has slidingmovement. This rear extremity of the member 16 of the stem extends intothe cylindrical closure 2O and is terminally formed with a ange 2&1 toprovide a pressure-seat for one terminal of a spring ,25, mounted in theclosure 2O and having its opposite end or terminal bearing against theinner surface of the head 21. The flange 24 also normally abuts againstthe inner surface of the rear head 19. The iiange 22 of the head 21 hasa convex edge 26, which contacts or engages with the concave edges orfaces 6 of the extensions 5 on the scraperblades, and bysuch engagementof the flange 22 with the extensions of the scraper-blades the inwardand outward movement of the latter is rendered more positive. Moreover,by disposing the central cylindrical closure or spring-barrel 2O in themanner set forthl and projecting the fiange 22 the scraper-blades are atall times held in contact with the said flange through the medium ofthefaces 6, and these parts are shielded by the heads of the blades, andsoot or other accumulations loosened by the cleaner is prevented frompassing through the latter.

lThe forward extremity of the member 16 of the stem, which projectsthrough the sleeve 15 of theheadll, is formed with screw-threads 27 andengaged by an adjusting-nut 28 and clamping-nut 29. rlhrough the mediumof these nuts and the screw-threaded extremity or terminal of the member15, just explained, the expansion of the scraper-blades and thetoggle-arms is regulated, and likewise the tension of the spring 25 canbe controlled to set up a stiff binding action on the edges 1 of theblades with the interior surfaces of the flues or other orifices intowhich the device may be inserted. It will be seen that through the useof the spring 25 the scraping edges of the blades have a yielding'contact with the interior surfaces of the iiues or orifices and byprotecting or inclosing the several parts, as h eretofore referred to,and preventing soot from lodging thereon interference with the action ofthe spring will be prevented and a positive adjustment of thescraping-blades may be obtained.l Furthermore, by locating the inclosure2O as stated it is less liable to become broken during the use of thecleaner and the opposite extremities of the heads 11 and 12 are freed ofunnecessary projecting devices adjacent thereto and engaging the stemmembers.

If found necessary at any time, the scraperblades, as well as thetoggle-arms, may be disconnected or detached, and, furthermore, forconvenience in assembling the parts of the stem and the closure 20 thehead 19 is made removable through the provision of screwthreads thereonand on the interior of the end of said closure which the head engages.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimedV as new is 1.In a flue-cleaner of the class set forth, the combination with heads ofcleaning-blades having their ends movably attached thereto, andtoggle-arms having their inner ends movably connected to the blades andtheir outer ends also movably supported, of stem membersextendinglongitudinally through the central space between the blades, a closurefor connecting said members, the end of one of said members beingattached to the closure and an end of the other member freely movable insaid closure, and a spring mounted in the said closure.

2. In a Hue-cleaner, the combination of expansible blades, toggle-armsdetachably secured to said blades, end heads to` which said blades andarms are detachably secured, a stem, comprising separate membersprojecting through the said heads` the heads being free to slide on thestem members, a cylindrical closure located in the central space betweenthe blades and having a flange at one end to engage portions of saidblades, one stem member being fixed to the closure and the other havingits inner end slidable in said closure, and a spring surrounding the endof the stem slidable in the closure and operating to return the parts tonormal position.

3. In a flue-cleaner, the combination with expansible cleaning-blades,of stem members longitudinally extending through the space between thesaid blades, heads on the stem members to which the blades areconnected, a cylindrical closure also disposed in longitudinal positionon the stem members between the blades and to one end of which one ofthe members is fixed, the other member being slidable within the closureand the latter having a flange at one end to engage inner portions ofthe blades, a spring within the closure, and adjusting means on theouter terminal of the spring member which movably passes into theclosure, the said closure being located centrally between the blades andfully shielding the spring therein.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PHILIP FRANK VOGT.

Witnesses:

OSCAR C. YOUNG, DANIEL C. BRownR.

IOO

